Aluminum shoe outer sole and heel

ABSTRACT

An aluminum shoe. An aluminum outer sole has a top side, a bottom side and at least two bends to follow the contour of a wearer&#39;s foot. An aluminum heel is welded to the bottom of the aluminum outer sole. A flexible, cushioned inner sole is glued to the top side of the aluminum outer sole. A foot retention means for holding the foot onto the inner sole is connected to the inner sole. In a preferred embodiment a front heel and a rear heel are welded to the bottom side of the outer sole. Also, in a preferred embodiment, three bends are placed into the outer sole to better follow the contour of the wearer&#39;s foot.

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 61/519,982 filed Jun. 2, 2011. The present invention relates to shoes, and in particular to shoe soles and heels.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There is evidence to suggest that humans have worn shoes for over 20,000 years. Shoes have been made in a variety of materials and for a variety of purposes. The first shoes were designed primarily for warmth and did not include a hard sole. Later, shoes became more supportive as the hard sole was invented. In recent history shoes have become very fashionable, especially with women. In the fashion industry it has become important to have shoes that are visually appealing and unusual. However, it can be very expensive and laborious to create a custom shoe for a fashion model, fashion show or customer. An artfully crafted pair of high heeled shoes can cost many hundreds of dollars.

Aluminum

Aluminum is a silvery-white, ductile metallic element. Having good conductive and thermal properties, it is used to form many hard, light, corrosion-resistant alloys. Aluminum is easily welded, bent and formed to fabricate a variety of products.

What is needed is a better high heeled shoe for fashion models and customers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an aluminum shoe. An aluminum outer sole has a top side, a bottom side and at least two bends to follow the contour of a wearer's foot. An aluminum heel is welded to the bottom of the aluminum outer sole. A flexible, cushioned inner sole is glued to the top side of the aluminum outer sole. A foot retention means for holding the foot onto the inner sole is connected to the inner sole. In a preferred embodiment a front heel and a rear heel are welded to the bottom side of the outer sole. Also, in a preferred embodiment, three bends are placed into the outer sole to better follow the contour of the wearer's foot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an aluminum sheet.

FIG. 2 shows outer soles traced onto the aluminum sheet.

FIG. 3 shows preferred outer soles.

FIG. 4 shows a preferred bent outer sole.

FIG. 5 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Aluminum shoe 94 shows an example of one preferred embodiment of the present invention. Aluminum heels 43 and 45 are welded to the bottom side of outer sole 15 via visible welds 47 and 49. Flexible, cushioned inner sole 59 is glued to outer sole 15. Straps 61 are used to hold the wearer's foot onto shoe 94. Grip pads 54 and 56 are preferably attached as shown. A craftsman can easily and inexpensively custom fabricate a pair of shoes for virtually any event or fashion show. It is sole 15, heel 43 and heel 45 can be formed and welded for approximately 15 for a pair of shoes. Regarding the appearance of the heels 43 and 45, the craftsman is only limited by his imagination and the wishes of his customer.

Preferred Procedure for Making an Aluminum Shoe

In FIG. 1, lightweight aluminum sheet 10 has been obtained as shown. In a preferred embodiment aluminum sheet 10 is approximately ⅛ inch thick.

In FIG. 2 left and right outer soles 15 have been drawn onto aluminum sheet 10. In a preferred embodiment the soles are custom drawn to match the foot size of the intended wearer of the shoes.

In FIG. 3 aluminum outer soles 15 have been cut from aluminum sheet 10 and placed side by side. In a preferred embodiment the soles are clamped together and the edges are simultaneously grinded to ensure that they are of equal size to each other.

In FIG. 4 aluminum outer sole 15 has been bent to allow for the later attachment of a 4 inch rear heel and a 1.5 inch front heel. In a preferred embodiment, the craftsman first clamps sole 15 tightly. The craftsman then utilizes a rubber tipped hammer to tap the exposed portion of sole 15 to form middle bend 16. The user then taps sole 15 to with the rubber headed hammer to form rightmost bend 17. Similarly, the craftsman then taps sole 15 to form leftmost bend 18. The craftsman preferably then will hold sole 15 up adjacent to the bottom of the intended wearer's foot to verify that the fit is comfortable. If there uncomfortable bulges or gaps, the craftsman can reinsert sole 15 into the clamp and adjust the bends by tapping with the rubber headed hammer. After the craftsman is satisfied with the bends, he preferably then grinds sharp, exposed edges 23 to round them off and smooth them out.

In FIG. 5 the craftsman has fabricated and then attached heel rear heel 33 and front heel 35. Both heels are aluminum and are welded to sole 15 as shown utilizing welds 37 and 38. The utilization of welds 37 and 38 add very unique and interesting appearance to the shoe. In a preferred embodiment, the craftsman will leave the welds unsanded to increase the attractiveness of the shoe, as shown in FIG. 5. In another preferred embodiments, the craftsman will grind and sand the welds to for wearers who prefer a smoother appearance.

As shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to attach a large variety of heel styles to sole 15. For example, aluminum rear heel 43 is welded to sole 15 utilizing weld 47. Aluminum front heel 45 is welded to sole 15 utilizing weld 49. Rubber grip pads 54 and 56 have been attached to the bottom of heels 43 and 45, respectively. Grip pads 54 and 56 provide for good grip traction while the wearer is walking in the shoes. Soft, comfortable upper sole 59 has been glued to the top of sole 15 as shown. Straps 61 are attached to upper sole 59 and allow the wearer to comfortably don the shoe and walk as desired.

Although the above-preferred embodiments have been described with specificity, persons skilled in this art will recognize that many changes to the specific embodiments disclosed above could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, although it was stated that aluminum sheet 10 is approximately ⅛ inch thick, it should be understood that sole 15 can be fabricated from sheets of a variety of thicknesses. In another preferred embodiment sheet 10 is approximately 3/16 inch thick. Therefore, the attached claims and their legal equivalents should determine the scope of the invention. 

1. An aluminum shoe comprising, A) an aluminum outer sole comprising: 1) a top side, 2) a bottom side, and 3) at least two bends to follow the contour of a wearer's foot, B) at least one aluminum heel welded to said bottom side of said aluminum sole, C) a flexible, cushioned inner sole glued to said top side of said aluminum outer sole, and D) a foot retention means connected to said inner sole, said foot retention means for holding the foot onto said inner sole.
 2. The aluminum shoe as in claim 1 wherein said at least two bends is three bends.
 3. The aluminum shoe as in claim 1 wherein said at least one aluminum heel is a front aluminum heel and a rear aluminum heel.
 4. The aluminum shoe as in claim 1 further comprising a visible weld wherein said visible weld binds said at least one aluminum heel to said bottom side of the aluminum sole.
 5. The aluminum shoe as in claim 4 wherein said visible weld comprises weld lines and is not smoothed out.
 6. The aluminum shoe as in claim 4 wherein said visible weld is grinded to remove weld lines.
 7. The aluminum shoe as in claim 1 further comprising at least one grip pad connected to said at least one aluminum heel.
 8. The aluminum shoe as in claim 1 wherein said at least one grip pad is fabricated from rubber.
 9. The aluminum shoe as in claim 1 wherein said foot retention means are straps.
 10. A method for making and using an aluminum shoe, said method comprising the steps of: A) obtaining a thin sheet of flat aluminum, B) cutting an outer sole from said sheet of aluminum, said outer sole comprising: 4) a top side, and 5) a bottom side, C) forming at least two bends into said outer sole to follow the contour of a wearer's foot, D) welding at least one aluminum heel to said bottom side of said outer sole, E) gluing a flexible, cushioned inner sole to said top side of said outer sole, F) connecting a foot retention means to said inner sole, said foot retention means for holding the foot onto said inner sole.
 11. The method as in claim 10 wherein said at least two bends is three bends.
 12. The method as in claim 10 wherein said at least one aluminum heel is a front aluminum heel and a rear aluminum heel.
 13. The method as in claim 10 further comprising a visible weld wherein said visible weld binds said at least one aluminum heel to said bottom side of the aluminum sole.
 14. The method as in claim 13 wherein said visible weld comprises weld lines and is not smoothed out.
 15. The method as in claim 13 wherein said visible weld is grinded to remove weld lines.
 16. The method as in claim 10 further comprising at least one grip pad connected to said at least one aluminum heel.
 17. The method as in claim 10 wherein said at least one grip pad is fabricated from rubber.
 18. The method as in claim 10 wherein said foot retention means are straps. 